Harold Leonard Berkman M.D.

Harold Leonard Berkman, M.D. devoted father, grandfather, and great grandfather died on December 23 at the age of 94.

Dr. Berkman, known to those closest to him as either "Hal" or "Boppee," was born in New York City in 1918. He moved to California as a teenager and went on to get his B.S. and M.S. degrees in zoology from UCLA. From there, he received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, in 1945. While he was a student at UCSF, he met his beloved wife Geri, a Stockton native and an undergraduate at U.C. Berkeley. After marrying Geri in 1943, they gave birth to their daughter, Ronna, in 1945, and son, Randy, in 1948. The family resided in Geri's hometown of Stockton for most of their lives,

following Hal's Army Medical Corps service In Germany from 1952 to 1953.

Hal practiced medicine for over 40 years, delivering thousands of Stockton's babies. After his official retirement, he continued to assist other doctors and participated in continuing education courses until shortly before his death. Besides his passion for his career, he brought equal passion to his lifelong hobbies. Hal was an avid

traveler, photographer, tennis player, skier, and investor. He was an active member of the San Joaquin County Medical Society, the Stockton Tennis Club and Temple Israel. Although his later years kept him off the ski slopes and tennis courts, he always kept his mind active through constant learning, developing great interest in technology in his later years. Above all else, he was a devoted family man. Despite the loss of his daughter Ronna in 2004, and his son Randy in 2011, he never lost his jovial spirit; he remained an

active and involved grandfather, and earlier this year, became a great grandfather.

Hal is survived by his wife of 69 years, Geri. He was a devoted father-in-law to Jim Morris and

Robin Appel, doting grandfather to Lilah and Ariel Morris, and great grandfather to 10-month old Arabella Wiseman.

Services will be held at Temple

Israel, 5015 North El Dorado Street, Stockton on Thursday,

December 27, 2012 at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to the Temple Israel Foundation Fund, 5105 N. El Dorado Street, Stockton, California 95207 or to a charity of your choice.